SHEEPVENTION was riding high on the sheep's back this year and good weather welcomed a big crowd through the gates.
Buoyed by high sheep and wool prices, wool growers, prime lamb producers and those in supporting service industries gathered for the largest sheep show and ram sale in the country.
Sheepvention president Andrew Nagorcka said at least 25,000 people were expected to attend the Hamilton event.
More than 1000 sheep were shown over the two days, and new events such as a fencing competition and the popular Woolshear competition drew fresh interest.
A highlight saw Australian Wool Innovations chairman Wal Merriman vie with the organisation's chief executive officer Stuart McCullough in a celebrity wool-handling competition.
The pair picked up, threw and skirted two fleeces, under the watchful eye of two judges.
But it was Mr McCullough, a former wool classer, who narrowly took out top honours.
One of the Woolshear committee organisers Richard Beggs, from Nareeb Nareeb, said the event aimed to boost the profile of shearers and wool handlers.
But, Mr Beggs said wool growers and contractors needed to "give learners a go".
"All sheds with more than four stands should take on a learner or two for part of their shed to give them a chance to get some experience," he said.
Sometimes contractors were too focused on pushing out numbers, but this was not in the interests of the industry, and development of young shearers in the long term, Mr Beggs said.
Mr McCullough said he was happy to put his skills to the test to support the roll of shearers and wool handlers, which were so important for the industry.
AWI puts $820,000 annually towards shearer and wool handler training. "We need to ensure we have skilled shearers and wool handlers if we're looking at a wool clip increase of 4 per cent this year," he said.
Now, AWI helps train 1300 shearers and handlers, but Mr Merriman is hoping to expand AWI's role in training.
"There is now a gap where TAFE courses can get new shearers up to about 40 sheep per day, but what we are looking at is a new, two-week, AWI school that can get them up to 100 so they can go straight out into sheds," he said.
"There's a model like this working in northern NSW so we are considering doing something similar."
Meanwhile, Hamilton's Department of Primary Industries centre received a $2.3 million boost at Sheepvention.
State Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said the new money would go towards recruiting lamb researchers and building new research and animal handling facilities.
Mr Walsh said the Government was committed to the future of the Hamilton centre.
The State Government plans to spend $1.3 million on new animal housing, handling and feeding facilities, included covered sheep yards.
"This investment will see Hamilton become to the sheep meat industry what DPI's Ellinbank centre is to the dairy industry," Mr Walsh said.
